Last year, 3.4 million people signed or started an online petition on change.org. That's one in seven Australians.

But does adding your name to a petition actually lead to change? Or is it just lazy clicktivism, designed to make us temporarily feel good about life's injustices?

"Decision makers are increasingly seeing that clicktivism and online people power can't be ignored. These are real people, they are constituents and they really care about these issues," Change.org founder Nathan Elvery​ said.

He notes that some of the petitions which attracted the greatest number of signatures garnered widespread media attention and led to major policy changes at a national level.

"People in positions of power are recognising that technology is how people are engaging with politics now and are starting to lean into that change rather than turning a blind eye to it."

The biggest victory of 2015, with more than 172,000 signatures, belonged to Melbourne father Shane Raisher, who lobbied to have the melanoma drug Keytruda placed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in a bid to save his life and help thousands of others battling the disease.

Shane Raisher successfully fought to have an expensive melanoma drug listed on the PBS. Credit:Change.org

At $10,500 for a three-week dose, he and wife Danielle could not afford to pay for the treatment of a disease he had fought for 14 years. The 32-year-old died in March this year, while Danielle was pregnant with their second child.

But in June, the drug – which had already been approved in Europe and America – was made available in Australia after then prime minister Tony Abbott agreed to list it on the PBS.

Danielle said it was a "bittersweet" victory but she is heartened that her husband's activism will help save lives.

"I'm immensely proud of him for putting himself out there like that. He was obviously trying to do it for himself but he knew it was also going to help so many other people," she said.

"They can't ignore 170,000 people and it just showed how many Australians are affected by melanoma or know someone who is. Every time we were sharing the petition on Facebook the fact that people can just click a button and share it and it goes to all of their friends there's no other way that you can reach that many people that quickly."

Elvery said the family's success shows that people power works, with a petition winning on the site every 24 hours.

The most successful petitions are often those asking for very specific change, such as Pam Brunswick, an ambulance worker and nurse who was sacked while taking leave for breast cancer surgery.

She gathered more than 61,000 signatures and forced her employer to reinstate her.

Ambulance worker Pam Brunswick was sacked while on leave for breast cancer surgery but got her job back after an online petition attracted more than 61,000 signatures. Credit:Change.org

Here are the biggest victories for Australian online petitions in 2015.

1. Wonder drug approved

Shane Raisher campaigned to have a melanoma wonder drug listed on the PBS with his petition, which got 172,617 signatures. He died just three months before it was approved, while his widow was pregnant with their second child.

Maria Sevilla fought against her nine-year-old autistic son, Tyrone, being deported to the Philippines because his condition was deemed too much of a financial burden. More than125,000 people signed her petition and one of Tyrone's friends appeared on the ABC's Q&A program to deliver a heartfelt plea for the boy to stay. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton intervened and granted permanent visas.

Maria Sevilla and her son Tyrone were facing deportation due to the cost of paying for his autism treatment.

4. Domestic violence education

Fourteen-year-old Josie Pohla launched a petition lobbying for domestic violence prevention lessons to be in the school curriculum. Her petition helped persuade Premier Mike Baird to introduce family violence education to NSW schools.

5. Credit card surcharges

Klaus Bartosch, a small businessman from the Gold Coast, successfully capped credit card surcharges which new Treasurer Scott Morrison announced in October. His petition was responsible for 5000 submissions to the Murray financial system inquiry calling for surcharges to be banned.

6. Bronwyn Bishop axed

In just over two weeks, Adrian Barker, of Melbourne, persuaded 88,000 people to call for the removal of Bronwyn Bishop from her post as speaker of the House of Representatives. While ultimately it was not the petition that brought her down, it added to the pressure on then prime minister Tony Abbott to axe Ms Bishop after her $5000 taxpayer-funded helicopter ride to a Liberal Party fundraiser in Geelong.

Mr Abbott kisses Bronwyn Bishop after she was replaced as speaker.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

7. Controversial judge removed

A petition to remove a NSW judge who suggested there was "nothing unnatural" about incest and compared the crime to homosexuality, received 70,000 signatures. A Judicial Commission later removed District Court Judge Garry Neilson from hearing cases involving sexual offences.

8. Brothers in arms

Nona Westenrieder called on Queensland's Disability Services Minister to fund the care of her four severely disabled brothers. The brothers, aged 18 to 38, were being forced into a group home because the government refused to pay for them to be cared at home by their parents. After a long battle and extensive media exposure the family received the government funding they needed to keep the brothers at home.

9. Suicide training for emergency staff

Grieving Brisbane mother Kerrie Keepa received 66,000 signatures on her petition calling on the Queensland Health Minister to urgently implement specialised training for emergency department staff on how to recognise and respond to suicidal patients, after her son Chris was turned away from hospital with multiple self-harm injuries. He died 11 days later. The Queensland government agreed to introduce the training.

10. Pay rise for Diggers

Tony Dagger, of Sydney, asked the federal government to reconsider a proposed Australian Defence Force pay rise of 1.5 per cent that did not meet inflation. More than 65,000 people signed the petition. The then prime minister later agreed to raise the increase to 2 per cent.